Freedom Club (18 page)

Charles thought about this, and pondered for a few moments. Looking at the rain-drenched windows of the tearoom, he furrowed his large brows for some time before coming back to the point.

“The animal kingdom has for some time astonished me,” Charles said. “With its ability to seemingly reflect the activities of man. However, I have always wondered if man and animal are really all that different. And your point about labor, where man presupposes his activities, seems to be on to something.

Karl said nothing. But he could see Charles was a bit nervous.

“From my observations,” Charles said cautiously, “I would like to think that man’s origins are of a manner different than Holy Scriptures would have us believe. I hope you don’t find such a notion offensive.”

Peering back through bushy eyebrows, Karl set down his cup and answered thoughtfully. “Now I see why you were so cautious when we first met. No, I do not find that overly offensive at all. In fact, I feel many ideas proposed in the Bible are quite suspect. There’s no harm in scrutinizing religion based on the light of scientific reason.”

“A relief to hear,” Charles sighed happily. “I would then expand upon this thought to suggest that ancient man could have separated himself from the natural world at some point. Somewhere in the distant past. If that were the case, our ancestors would have developed both physically and mentally in a manner that created modern society. And it is for this reason that we see the similarities between man and nature. Not by coincidence, but because we really are the offspring of nature itself. That I think agrees with your previous statements of labor being a natural process. Going back to ancient times.”

“Indeed,” Karl said enthusiastically. “I find this line of thinking most interesting. Please continue.”

Charles smiled. “Well, then, even if ancient man had achieved the physical and mental stature he maintains today, it seems logical to think his activities, or labor as you put it, could have been the critical step transitioning him away from the animal kingdom. Thus alienating man completely from nature, so to speak.

Karl made no reaction.

“If so,” Charles said, “would not his imagination and use of labor power, as you put it, be the most unnatural of activities?”

Karl combed his beard and harrumphed with interest. “In my opinion it seems completely natural. Does not the spider’s web resemble the work of weavers? Or the bee’s construction of her cells the work of architects and masons?”

“Perhaps,” Charles agreed. “These traits appear similar. But your point about the imagination of man – that one key point seems to be quite reactive in some manner. I would say that, without it, we revert to some primitive state, a beast if you will, one that acts merely upon instinct. Without the intention to shape nature, we would survive in the wild on a reactionary basis like any other creature. But with the proper application of foresight, we apparently end up with ever-increasing complex societies. Societies that we both agree are in a rather dismal state of affairs.”

Karl slowly lit a cigar and puffed a few times before circulating it in the air. “Well, I suppose that man’s foresight and creativity are critical. And yes, they are a fundamental component for social formation. But I’m not sure how to isolate foresight itself for scientific examination. Animals have never demonstrated this trait. And we cannot find a living specimen of our ancestors who can demonstrate how they first used their primitive intellect. How would you propose to examine the birth of foresight and imagination?”

Charles brooded over Karl’s comments. Indeed, what he said was logical and quite sensible given limited understanding of science. However, he had a suspicion that some critical factor was missing, some phenomenon that would exemplify the separation of man from the animal world.

“Sadly, I don’t know,” Charles said, while scowling at his pocket watch. “Oh, dear, is that the time? I really must be going.”

Both men stood and graciously shook hands one final time. It wasn’t clear if they would ever meet again. Understandably, British society limited their ability to further a close association.

“Perhaps we shall meet again should the circumstances allow,” Charles stated.

Karl bowed slightly. “I would enjoy the opportunity. You can always find me in the King’s Library, but do remember that our pursuits are not so disjointed, as evidenced by our pleasant discussion. One day in the future, all people may come to recognize that the evolution of man and the revolution of society are in fact caused by the same phenomenon.”

“If so,” Charles said politely, “it will be by our descendants who have a greater understanding of the sentient being within them.”

“Perhaps,” Karl agreed warmly.

Charles bowed and took a few steps before turning his head back momentarily. He gazed back at Karl with his cigar smoldering the air about him.

“Do make sure you publish in any event, Dr. Marx,” he said with an enthusiastic smile. “You’re not simply dreaming. And I see no reason for your philosophies to remain unknown to the common man.”

“Nor I,” Karl said chuckling. “Nor do I.”

Chapter 9—Choices

…take care that the great things to which you are really sacrificing your life do not deceive you.

—Søren Kierkegaard

B
eaming with vibrant enthusiasm, Sumeet paged through numerous congratulatory messages within his virtual landscape. All lauded news of the Takahana Board approval of their tender offer and, as a result, his anxiety over recognition and failure ebbed away. What a change it was to have Drexel accept his work. Of course, Sumeet only managed the plan and offer documents, but the board’s initial approval was a major victory. How childish he’d been to worry about his role. In fact, Ganesh was absolutely right. What a fool he’d been. His worries were an overreaction, brought on by self doubt and an irrationally negative attitude.

Laughing to himself, Sumeet vowed to stow away unwarranted fears, and was about to call Ganesh when a new call arrived. Armando’s tags lit up, and he picked up without hesitation. No doubt Armando was calling to offer his praise, and Sumeet relished the opportunity to demonstrate his newfound attitude.

Smiling, he radiated pure confidence. “Good morning!”

“Hello,” Armando replied. “Great news on Takahana. I knew you’d come through. So tell me, how are things going today? Do we have any follow-up information on the tender?”

“I left you a short status this morning. Didn’t you see that?”

Armando answered apologetically. “Sorry. I was a little busy. Must have missed it. Listen, there is something else we need to talk about. Do you have a minute?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Are you alone?” Armando asked with concern.

“Uhm, I’m sitting at our group island. But I can turn on the sound dampeners.”

Armando paused unnervingly. “Can you just grab a room?”

“What, a physical room?”

“Yes, four real walls.”

What was Armando up to now? Sumeet wasn’t sure, but his suspicions were already beginning to rise. NO! That was the old attitude he needed to drop. Looking around his filter for some open spot, it didn’t take more than a moment to find rooms on the far side of the floor. He quickly made his way, continuing the dented conversation as best he could.

“Okay, I found fish bowls nearby. What’s going on?”

“We want to make some changes over here. Are you there yet?”

Sumeet walked inside a small one man cubby. Sitting on the large seat provided, he activated privacy controls. This soundproofed the space and obscured its exterior-facing windows with a milky white film. The inside walls, however, came to life, showcasing a simulated undersea landscape alive with fish and coral of every description. Its purpose was to help unwind one’s head, and allow for a more relaxed environment. Soon, though, Sumeet would be hard pressed to benefit from that.

“I’m secure,” Sumeet said, glancing at school of darting cigar minnows. “Go ahead.”

“Do you remember the other day, when I spoke with you about ASPAU graduates?”

“The Ivy leaguers? Yes.”

“Well, the Sentient Board met last night and decided to go ahead with the idea.”

Sumeet nodded. “Yes, very well then.”

“They requested that I onboard five. I want to bring them into our group,” Armando explained.

Sumeet wasn’t sure why the conversation about ASPAU graduates required a private room for discussion. It made no sense. But he needed to stay focused. Looking at the flexi wall, he noted a large simulated grouper approaching. Clearing his throat, he forced a smile to appear. Reminding himself to show a positive attitude, he demonstrated a façade of ostensible cheerfulness.

“Sure! Do you want me to take on a few for training?”

Armando paused a few moments while vigorously massaging his hair. He looked at Sumeet with angst. Sighing, he continued to explain.

“Well, here’s the thing. I need to give one of them your position,” Armando said, laughing feebly.

Sumeet froze in place. What on earth was Armando talking about? He didn’t like the sound of this at all. And its meaning? Sumeet’s cheerful guard was beginning to show jagged cracks.

“What?” he stammered. “What does that mean?”

“Well, it means that one will take over your work responsibilities. I mean...as soon as you get back.”

Sumeet sat up nervously. “And what will I be doing after all this?”

“Yes, well...this means that you would leave Chindo.”

Sumeet’s heart jumped and began racing out of control. In one instant, all of his efforts to put the past behind were dashed to pieces.

“Are you joking? You’re firing me?” he finally spurted.

Armando waved his hands calmingly. “Of course I’m not firing you. This is just a layoff. It doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s certainly not performance related.”

“From where I’m sitting, I think this has a lot to do with me!”

“Please, Sumeet! You are making this more difficult than it needs to be,” Armando blurted, while leaning back in his web chair. “I am just following the Sentient Board’s recommendation.”

“And I have to go...just like that!”

“Once again I think you are taking this too personally. However, nothing is going to happen until you return. Officially your severance runs until month’s end. And, I would add, you qualify for our outplacement advisory.”

Sumeet looked at the ground, shaking his head in despair. “What did I do? Did I make some terrible mistake that upset you?”

Armando laughed. “You’re not listening to me, Sumeet. This has nothing to do with you. The Sentient Board just wanted to remix the team and adjust costs. They picked five people on a random basis. Believe me, I don’t like this either.”

Sumeet looked on in disbelief. “You are willing to let me go for some cheap American Ivy Leaguers? On nothing more than a roll of the dice?”

Armando shook his head. “This system is considered the best for all concerned. Listen, I know you are upset, but please get a hold of yourself. When you see the big picture, this is really nothing more than an opportunity to grow, to become more than you are right now. Take time off. You don’t need to be there, quite frankly. Officially you’re working, but all your system access has been cut off. No one will notice.”

Concealing his temper, Sumeet resented everything Armando said. It was all just meaningless platitudes. With clenched teeth he looked away irefully, and noted that the large grouper was now chasing after the cigar minnows. Instinctively, they hid amongst the corals. And after all he’d done for Armando? Nothing could have hurt more, and Sumeet made every effort to refrain from blurting something regretful.

“You can stay there until your flight leaves,” Armando stated mechanically. “Then I need you back for handover, but it’s really just a formality. Nothing to worry about.”

“Fine,” Sumeet hissed.

“For what it’s worth, I really liked working with you. You were one of my best.”

Armando’s image faded as Sumeet sat still, looking blankly at the seascape that remained. Sinking down into the chair, emotions jumbled about his throbbing skull. He was at a loss. Returning to work was now impossible. And he had no desire to speak with the team. His legs wobbling, Sumeet stood and opened the door as another employee walked up.

“Are you done with the fish bowl?” he asked.

“Fish bowl?”

“The meeting room. Are you done?”

Sumeet stared back inside dispassionately at the rock where minnows swam guardedly. “Yes, I’m finished here,” he said.

A brooding scowl was transfixed upon his face as he moped back to his work space. The entire team was still there, blissfully content and occupied in virtual space. With so many people surrounding him, he found it ironic that there was no one to talk to. More than ever before he needed to express his anger and share his feelings with someone. Anyone.

Then an idea dawned on him. Walking at a brisk pace, he found a quiet corner in the nearby coffee room and dialed Ivan. Looking at his virtual desktop, he could see several queued messages from Hiral. He ignored them and waited as the dial tone relentlessly pinged. Sumeet held his breath for what seemed like an eternity until Ivan’s voice finally came on the line.

“Ivan! Thank God you’re not busy,” Sumeet rasped. “Have you heard?”

Ivan’s face was bright and cheerful at first. But sensing Sumeet’s nervousness, he darkened with a somber look of deep concern.

“What’s wrong?” Ivan said with sudden alarm. “I have heard nothing out of the ordinary, but your tone indicates something of great import.”

“They fired me!”

“Fired?” Ivan paused for a moment. “I don’t understand?”

“I am not sure myself, but Armando just called. He explained some need to lay off people. Part of some re-org.”

Ivan listened thoughtfully. “Sumeet...I don’t know what to say. Statistically speaking, there is always a risk of layoffs. However, I never considered you would be caught up in one.”

Sumeet’s voice was tinged with desperation. “Ivan, is there anything you can do? Can you change this?”

Ivan paused. “Uncertain... I don’t believe anything I can say would be persuasive. Typically, there’s a great deal of planning that goes into such events. However, I will make some discreet inquiries. I will contact you again if I find anything helpful.”

Ivan looked on sympathetically, almost like he was in pain. A simulated act on Ivan’s part, but even young Sentients knew that tense situations required some emotional response.

Looking on for a few moments, Ivan shook his head somberly. “I am truly sorry. That is the best I can do.”

“Okay, Ivan, I’ll wait to hear from you,” Sumeet replied softly and hung up.

Frustration raged throughout his body and Sumeet sank deeper into his foam chair. Desperate, he considered his next actions. Should he call his family and give them the bad news? And what about Hiral? He wondered if all this would shatter their relationship. And then there was the com-plex deal. My God! How could he go through with it now? His mind spun in circles, and he tried desperately to stay calm. But it was impossible to divert his attention from what seemed impending doom. He sat for some time mulling over his options, when his phone rang again.

This time he considered letting the system take a message. But he soon changed his mind. The call displayed Chindo personnel tags and a new wave of despair washed over him. Oh, well, he thought to himself, might as well get it over with.

The caller was a very young woman. Dressed in a conservative pin-striped suit, her manicured hair, nails and face glowered professionally back at him. Without a doubt, she exemplified seriousness in every professional way possible.

“Hi. This is Pamela from human-based human resources,” the caller said. “Can we have an exit interview? Now, if you have the time?”

“I see,” Sumeet replied dourly. “Well...I’m not in the best mood. But I suppose we could talk for a few minutes if you’d like.”

“Oh, it won’t take long,” she said, grabbing her flexi pad. “It’d be great if we could get this out of the way and move you along.”

Sumeet responded gruffly. “I am a bit surprised that things are happening so fast. I just heard about this.”

“We try to be efficient,” Pamela responded. “The important point to remember is that it’s not personal.”

Sumeet nodded reluctantly. “Yes, but as much as that sounds nice, I’m having trouble accepting this decision being made by Sentients.”

“Come on, Sumeet,” Pamela said, looking at her pad. “I think you know better. The workers council reviewed and approved this. Deviation from the Sentient recommendation now would represent discriminatory behavior.”

Sumeet stared back angrily. “Has a Sentient ever been laid off?”

Pamela straightened up in her chair and went on without pause. Pushing her head forward, she observed carefully for any reaction.

“I am required to ask you some statutory questions,” she blandly read. “Do you currently have any negative feelings that impair you from performing existing work activities?”

Sumeet just shook his head in confusion. “I’m not sure I understand...”

Pamela cut him off and threw one hand up in the air. “Let me make that simple for you. Can you still do your job?”